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Rage Against The Machine’s explosive debut album changed everything
- slackfan 4y agoAnd now, you WILL do what they tell you.
- lolive 4y agoWho was absolutely amazed when started the final song of The Matrix? One of the most brilliant moment of [my] cinema history.
- statictype 4y agoThe movie was already great and Wake Up was the perfect song to end it (both soncially and the context of it)
- lelandfe 4y agoRATM's first public show in 91: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMq-qAn3otE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMq-qAn3otE
- tyingq 4y agoThe video from Zed's Record store in 1992 is also interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lvzk6-2cyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lvzk6-2cyQ
- blindriver 4y agoI've been a huge fan of RATM since the early 90s, but I don't think that "A brand new band mixing metal and hip hop like no one had done before" is quite true. My understanding is that the music scene in LA had a lot of bands like this. I believe the band Downset pre-dates them, and they had a big hit called "Anger". I only wish they had a bigger impact in politics. For all of their incredible songs, almost nothing came of it, besides the famous protest of the DNC conference in LA. I wish they had more impact especially during the Bush years, when we really needed an anti-government voice, but it never came to be, unfortunately.
- vondur 4y agoDownset was heavily influenced by Zach’s old band Inside Out. I was in an old hardcore band from that era and know Ray and played with shows with Inside Out. Updated for autocorrected error.
- konfusinomicon 4y agoanger, hostility toward the opposition!
- lawgimenez 4y agoI'm getting old but I am still straight-edge right now because of bands like Inside Out and Minor Threat. Also I wish Tom would still write his op-ed on NYTimes, I really enjoyed his history and writing.
- at-fates-hands 4y agoHe's really articulate. I listen to his show "Comandante" on XM just for the history stuff he brings up. Tonight he was talking about being in a legit spandex, hair metal band WHILE he was still attending classes at Harvard. It was such a funny, yet totally Tom Morello thing to do, right? If you get a chance, have a listen, he has a lot of fascinating things to talk about - would love to see him get a regular spot in the Times just as a culture writer. Would be really interesting to see what he's write about.
- lawgimenez 4y agoThanks for the recommendation, I will take a listen. I think he wrote about that in his op-ed about being in a band in Harvard. https://www.nytimes.com/column/tom-morello https://www.nytimes.com/column/tom-morello
- apaprocki 4y agoDon’t get many opportunities in 2022 to tell the global Internet reading HN to go listen to Burning Fight and No Spiritual Surrender! What was your band?
- beenBoutIT 4y agoAnd then Rage Against the Machine's sound in the GTA San Andreas soundtrack changed everything again. Combining an open world game and a flight-simulator together with baked-in FM radio stations was literally the best thing to ever happen to gaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLGuDj2oGLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLGuDj2oGLU
- poisonarena 4y ago>And then Rage Against the Machine's sound in the GTA San Andreas soundtrack changed everything again. GTA had radio stations even in the first isometric one and the three (or more?) after that, before San Andreas > literally the best thing to ever happen to gaming. its a nice gimmick but I think it isn't LITERALLY the best thing ever in gaming. lots of games have music, literally.
- beenBoutIT 4y agoGTA SA has literally the best soundtrack ever made in any game at that point in time. Period. It utilizes a complex system to keep repeat plays from ever becoming repetitive. No other game had anything like that then and very few, if any, non Rockstar games have anything like that now.
- poisonarena 4y agoI disagree, Also Midnight Run Club series had similar system before, and had better music, also why do reddit people keep writing 'literally' all the time? >complex system very simple system to prevent repeats and inject slugs, and all the sequels(and GTA 3 + vice, had that system.. Did you play all those games? Did you play Midnight Club Series? by rockstar also? Taste wise I prefer the music in GTA4 and Vice City to San Andreas
- soulofmischief 4y agoThe San Andreas FM station wasn't baked in, unlike its predecessors. It featured dynamic playlists, randomized commercials, news and interview segments which reflected the progression of the game's arching plot and more. https://www.soundonsound.com/people/allan-walker-craig-connor-grand-theft-auto https://www.soundonsound.com/people/allan-walker-craig-conno... > In all the previous titles, each radio station was a loop of about an hour and a half with the adverts and the DJs all mixed in, so I could just EQ the whole thing the way I wanted. This time the tracks are selected randomly from each station's playlist and there are three different DJ intros and outros for each track. Most of the ads appear on several different stations too. We wanted people to be able to play the game for a long time before hearing anything repeated.
- hansjorg 4y ago
- MisterBastahrd 4y agoThey've ALWAYS been political. The lyric "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" wasn't about your mom or your teacher or your swim coach.
- angrycontrarian 4y agoExcept then it became "Fuck you, do what they tell you."
- swayvil 4y agoBe a good person. Support the current thing.
- afavour 4y agoThe number of replies that aren’t getting the sarcasm here blows my mind
- keeganpoppen 4y agoalas, humor is not allowed on HN
- SV_BubbleTime 4y agoSomeone might be wrong! And we can not have that.
- jaxn 4y agoIt was always political. The lyrics didn’t change.
- hansjorg 4y ago
- yeahwhatever10 4y agoNever understand how the Beastie Boys don't get more acknowledgement for contributing to the sound that RATM used.
- djur 4y agoWhat do you see as the main similarities? I don't really feel like the Beasties' early rock sounds were that much closer to RATM than, say, Run-DMC or even Schoolly D's "Signifying Rapper". The Anthrax collaboration version of "Bring The Noise" might be even closer, but it was released after RATM's debut was recorded.
- lawgimenez 4y agoBeastie Boys was a hardcore band before all the songs you mentioned, the fourth member is the drummer of Luscious Jackson. Or before they became a rap group. Edit: Beastie Boys as a hardcore band pre-dates RATM's or Zach's Inside Out. I think the GP is correct.
- jhickok 4y agoHuh, haven't heard the name "Luscious Jackson" in a long long time. I really liked a few of their songs.
- flobosg 4y agoAnthrax released “I’m The Man” in 1987, which could be considered rap metal.
- arbitrary_name 4y agoIn full agreement, i feel like they already explored that sound before rage took it to a new and more commercially successful/influential level.
- jansan 4y agoThe Beastie Boys were never out to change things. They wanted to have fun and gave us the best live performance of a one chord song ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ5yKJlhbiA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ5yKJlhbiA
- bheadmaster 4y agoFunny how fame changes people. Started out as a gang of activists, rapping about social justice and all the equality stuff - ended up throwing tantrums for not receiving special treatment for being rock stars: https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/tom_morello_rips_seattle_restaurant_after_being_denied_service_gets_a_steaming_reply_from_owner.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/tom_...
- xeromal 4y agoI always thought Zach was the one who believed in activism the most.
- wil421 4y agoDespite the restaurant rant I think Tom Morello is the better activist. Zach was certainly the more committed and extreme activist. Tom’s show on SirusXM is awesome and I highly recommend it. There are a couple good article if you google Tom Morello activism, I’d link but some plate behind paywalls.
- pozdnyshev 4y ago
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- nemo44x 4y agoYeah they turned into “I will do what you tell me” sort of thing. They became the machine. Sad.
- oaththrowaway 4y agoRage For The Machine
- conductr 4y ago
- type0 4y agoHere's: "Killing In The Name" performed by The North Korean Military Chorus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAcYS-_8L2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAcYS-_8L2s
- alistairSH 4y agoI thought “surely this will be parody” but no, there it is.
- jansan 4y agoThank you. I can now say with confidence that I have seen it all.
- crtasm 4y agoNot quite yet, the video is not real.
- swayvil 4y agoMy feelings are jumbled about this. They are playing it straight. And that audience.
- nailer 4y agoThis… kinda… (ok hear me out) makes sense in terms of NK criticising American society.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- jaymicha 4y agoSlight tangent, but Upchuck from ATL gives me some RATM-adjacent vibes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFOlhweGbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFOlhweGbs
- KBeyo 4y agoSo, I’m sitting here in a small town in Uruguay on the coast. I’m American and I’m thinking about this third world country (please, this is how they refer to themselves - not as a developing nation, so just hard stop right there) and I’m thinking about where we are as humans, are heading. Well, as my father said tonight, history doesn’t repeat, it rhymes…here we are. What is going on??? I try and try as someone who grew up as the only white kid in my area in Chicago, dirt poor, to understand how, in my opinion, we as the United States, and therefore the world, are going backwards. (Sorry I’m using the US as a bell weather for the world because through my travels I’ve found this true.) why why why is there not improvement everywhere? Can we not do that as a human race? Do we not have enough resources. Now, some will write, but medicine has extended our lifespans, etc etc. Ok, but are we closer as humans? Have we implemented solutions that some say we are able to solve like world hunger? Na…anyway, rage came on the scenes when I was in middle school-ish. It was the mainstream radical that had existed during the 60s, but just one band made it mainstream - there were of course others that didn’t blow up. A group that came on the scene when it was comfortable in this country, as we were exporting our manufacturing jobs abroad. Rage spoke up about what was going on and it was strange. People were comfortable in the US and they banged their heads to the music but what did they absorb - what actions were taken? Things need to get shaken up to preserve democracy, challenge it. But this wasn’t necessarily the result from the band. We don’t see stuff like this mainstream. We are at a crossroads currently. I’m not sure the “best” outcome is going to show its face. If it did we would have more groups like this now that were mainstream. But instead we have Taylor swift filling the top ten - family member of JP Morgan Chase (disclosure, I bank w them but don’t listen to her music). I’m ranting, but all I have to say is that their music was inspiring and helped inspire me to pursue “sustainable business”. I hope to live in a world one day that instead of operating at .05% of its potential (quotation needed), it operates at just 25%. The mixture of music genres and messaging that rage created moved along the path of informing us of the struggles through a medium in which we could all connect…if you liked grunge and hip hop and all that. If some of y’all want to throw some lyrics from their songs up on this post, it would definitely exemplify what I’m saying. Rage, thanks for keeping us apprised… “Check it, since 1516, minds attacked and overseen Now crawl amidst the ruins of this empty dream With their borders and boots, on top of us Pullin' knobs on the floor, of their toxic metropolis But how you gonna get what you need to get? The gut eaters, blood drenched get offensive like Tet The fifth sun sets get back reclaim The spirit of Cuauhtémoc, alive and untamed Now face the funk now blastin' out your speaker On the one - Maya, Mexica That vulture came to try and steal your name but now you got a gun Yeah, this is for the people of the sun!”
- b0bb1z3r0 4y ago[dead]
- jbmny 4y agoCaught them live a couple months ago at Madison Square Garden. I couldn't believe how good they sounded or how energetic they were. Zach had to sit down throughout the whole performance due to an injury, but it didn't bring down the intensity at all. And you'd have absolutely no idea Tom Morello was 58 years old. I found myself wondering how much better their shows could have been 30 years ago -- it didn't seem like they'd lost a single step. Needless to say, it was well worth the price.
- andrewinardeer 4y agoI flew from Melbourne, Australia to Buffalo, NY to see them. Worth the 27 hour flight each way.
- textide 4y agoSaw them at Lollapalooza in New Orleans in 1993. None of my group of friends had ever heard of them. We were there for Tool, Primus and Alice in Chains. The crisp guitar and overall energy of Rage was jaw-dropping. The next day all of us bought their CD and blasted it while driving around for the next year.
- WXLCKNO 4y agoSaw them as well in Canada this summer, same thing Zach was sitting but it quite literally the best show I've ever been to.
- agotterer 4y agoI saw them in 1999 at Nassau Coliseum. Still to this day one of the best and most energetic shows I’ve ever been to. This about sun up the evening: “groups of teenage boys took their own kind of mass action, rushing the barriers between the bleacher seats and the coliseum floor to overwhelm the outnumbered security guards. Half a dozen mosh pits held colliding bodies riding surges of adrenaline and testosterone during the set.” https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/07/arts/rock-review-rock-rebels-with-a-cause-and-anger.html https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/07/arts/rock-review-rock-reb...
- happymellon 4y agoTried to see them twice in the UK, which they have cancelled. Hopefully, they will one day make it.
- Sporktacular 4y agoGreat band but these articles always need to talk up the originality or uniqueness of a given band when they just don't need to. Rage against the machine came at the right time, had/have great energy, technical skill, an important message etc. all of which make for a great piece. But mixing metal and hip hop in some new way? There were a dozen big name acts at the time doing exactly that.
- bentt 4y agoIn 1991? Who?
- alrs 4y agoStaying entirely in the '80s, early rap-rock would be the Clash, Time Zone and Tom Tom Club. Mid period would be RUN-DMC/Aerosmith and the Beastie Boys. Later would be Age of Chance, Pop Will Eat Itself, and World Domination Enterprises. You could probably give Big Audio Dynamite an honorable mention.
- arbitrary_name 4y agoAnthrax?
- resheku 4y agoFNM
- Scarblac 4y agoUrban Dance Squad.
- Sporktacular 4y agoMr. Bungle, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Faith No More.
- nappy-doo 4y agoI know this is a joke, but this is really what it was like hearing RATM for the first time: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TTXPvD5iYxs https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TTXPvD5iYxs
- MarcelOlsz 4y agoFor anyone that can't stand not being able to scan, replace "shorts" with "v" to get a regular video: https://www.youtube.com/v/TTXPvD5iYxs https://www.youtube.com/v/TTXPvD5iYxs
- triyambakam 4y agoThat's super helpful, thank you! It's like holding my breath not knowing where I am in the video.
- Noumenon72 4y agoAt 0:45 it perfectly represents how that song takes my emotions up to the point I can hardly hold them. I barely ever get overstimulated like that.
- kolleykibber 4y agoIt has always intrigued me how close the riff in 'Killing in the name' is to the one in 'Man of constant sorrow'.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- econner 4y agoIf you like RATM then it's worth watching this early video of theirs from 1992. So many hits on their debut album and about 10 people in the crowd in the middle of a record store. This video is a definite gem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ8YAv2rcQU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ8YAv2rcQU
- nineteen999 4y agoFor an awesome parody of RATM's corporate, bowdlerized brand of rebellion, you can't go past Ben Folds "Rockin' the Suburbs".
- photochemsyn 4y agoZack: "...we’re dealing with this huge, monstrous pop culture that has a tendency to suck everything that is culturally resistant to it into it in order to pacify it and make it non-threatening." I'm convinced that's not an organic natural phenomenon, but rather a feature of the corporate-state partnership between movie and music producers, the corporations and shareholders that largely control them, and the bureaucrats and politicians who don't like to be criticized by popular artists. It's pretty clear that new acts with such political messages no longer get record deals; that's why rap and hip-hop turned into a celebration of ostentatious consumption in the USA - although acts similar to Rage Against the Machine are more common in Europe, they're mostly industrial/metal acts, such as, for example, Arch Enemy, The World is Yours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk2-bgwA0Ro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk2-bgwA0Ro
- uncletammy 4y agoFor those who love Rage Against the Machine and can't seem to find modern revolution music, give Idles a try. It's a bit more on the punk side but equally angry and inspired. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idles
- RALaBarge 4y agoIdles is like Radiohead but if they all grew up in the gutter (in a good way)
- benbristow 4y agoRage Against The Machine... the group that said "f*** you I won't do what they tell you", but then played shows that required you to show a government mandated vaccine passport to go to their shows. Hard to take them seriously afterwards.
- pmarreck 4y ago
- benbristow 4y agoI’m sorry about the people you knew, truly. But I disagree with the argument you gave afterwards about “anyone who cares about other humans get vaccinated” because the vaccine does barely anything to stop the spread. Even Pfizer themselves admitted they never even tested that statement before they rolled out the jabs. https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/human-body/pfizer-did-not-know-whether-covid-vaccine-stopped-transmission-before-rollout-executive-admits/news-story/f307f28f794e173ac017a62784fec414 https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/human-body/pfizer...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- petre 4y ago> because the vaccine does barely anything to stop the spread We don't know that. They never released any statistics from North Korea and even if they do, it'd be quite questionable.
- pmarreck 4y agoyou too, with the sarcasm? JFC, at least read my reply to the other guy: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33482926 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33482926 Preventing transmission was never the point. Reducing deaths (to the tune of 19.8 million lives saved globally, Lancet link in my comment there), was. The "never tested for preventing transmission" argument is thus a red herring. Congratulations on caving in to inflammatory media distortion, I'm sure their ads appreciated your eyeballs.
- 31337Logic 4y ago
- gorgoiler 4y agoTom Morello’s ability to make an electric guitar sound like a completely new instrument is absolutely incredible, and is more than enough to earn him the title of hacker. The format of a lot of Rage and Audioslave music was great for showcasing the “…and now for something completely different” Morello guitar solo, where you pretty much get to hear something unique every time. The Python reference feels pretty apt given how much Terry Gilliam was both part-of- as well as completely-different-to- the rest of the troupe.
- danielvaughn 4y agoI’ll never forget this YouTube video of one of their early performances. It was in I think a record store. Just imagine being some kids in a band, playing to a small crowd in some store. And yet, they brought so much fucking energy they may as well have been playing in Madison Square Garden. Truly amazing to watch: https://youtu.be/bQ8YAv2rcQU https://youtu.be/bQ8YAv2rcQU
- imwillofficial 4y agoI find it fascinating how bands that used to promote fighting the system have become the biggest proponents of the current system.
- joemazerino 4y agoGood band and album. Evil Empire set me off on a rock tangent in my youth. As much as I hate their braindead commie politics try and not groove to "Vietnow".
- ogou 4y agoWhen Trump was elected there were some protests for a few days near a local college. I went to check them out and noticed the students struggling to find political music to play over loudspeakers. They had nothing in their playlists for it. RATM got played over and over because that's all they could find. Songs from 28 years earlier. A similar experience happened near the same area after George Floyd. They couldn't find any hip hop or trap that had current political themes. So, they played NWA F** da Police over and over. A song from 32 years earlier. I sincerely believed both of those events would spawn a new generation of protest/political music. Didn't happen. Or, if it did I can't find it. I look sometimes in Reddit forums.